With the Centre claiming that 99.2% of rural India is now open defecation free, the next big goal on the Swachh Bharat journey is the 100% safe and scientific disposal of solid and liquid waste, according to the Economic Survey 2018-19. However, it emphasises that the large resources needed to reach this milestone will need to be met through crowd and corporate funding, private partnerships and innovative financing mechanisms along with government allocations. Scientific techniques for the safe and effective disposal of waste should be the next on the agenda for this mission,” says the survey. Some examples are micro-financing, concessional loans, private partnerships, corporate social responsibility, and crowd funding aligned with local government financing. Mindset changeApart from financial resources, mindset change is the other major ingredient required for sustained progress in sanitation.

Source: The Hindu July 04, 2019 15:33 UTC